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1. Mission: Impossible – Fallout
2. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
3. Mission: Impossible
4. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
5. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning
6. Mission: Impossible III
7. Mission: Impossible II

In viewing order. See notes for dates and notes about my kids’ reactions.

• Moana

  March 16, 2017 - An ongoing favorite of Penelope’s and the theme of her 3rd birthday party.

• Big Hero 6

  April 5, 2017 - Our daughter doesn’t bring this up very often. Viewed at my in laws’ while we were moving into our current house.

• Bambi

  July 14, 2017 - Obviously an intense experience, but a movie we return to fairly regularly.

• Mary Poppins

  August 18, 2017 - This was a big hit. I believe we broke it into two nights, but it has been returned to a few times.

• My Neighbor Totoro

  October 13, 2017 - Another big hit with Penelope. It was also the night we found out Danielle was pregnant with Oswald!

• The Peanuts Movie

  October 28, 2017 - This didn’t make much of an impression.

• The Iron Giant

  December 26, 2017 - This wasn’t technically a Family Movie Night, as Penelope and I watched this without Danielle (during the day), but I had to mention it because it is, so far, the only film to cause my daughter to burst into applause.

• The Wizard of Oz

  January 13, 2018 - Penelope doesn’t ever talk about this.

• Dumbo

  March 2, 2018 - We watched this very soon after returning from Disney World. It always strikes me how quickly the movie wraps up after the climax.

• Pinocchio

  March 11, 2018 - I was worried we were rushing a three year old into this, but Penelope didn’t seem to have any nightmares or problems.

...plus 99 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

There are many films from this year that I need to see. Here's my Watchlist for 1984.

1. This Is Spinal Tap
2. Gremlins
3. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
4. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
5. Streets of Fire
6. The Terminator
7. Blood Simple
8. The Karate Kid
9. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
10. Beverly Hills Cop

• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
• The Mummy
• The Adventures of Tintin
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
• DuckTales: The Movie – Treasure of the Lost Lamp
• Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made
• Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation
• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

1. Casualties of War
2. Dead Bang
3. Driving Miss Daisy
4. Godzilla vs. Biollante
5. Leviathan
6. Reunion
7. See No Evil, Hear No Evil
8. Tango & Cash
9. Uncle Buck
10. Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally

1. The Avengers
2. Avengers: Infinity War
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
4. Iron Man
5. Avengers: Endgame
6. Captain America: The First Avenger
7. Guardians of the Galaxy
8. Captain Marvel
9. Black Panther
10. Thor: Ragnarok

...plus 25 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

My ballot for the Filmcast's 2025 Summer Movie Wager.
The rules are pretty simple: Guess the top ten highest grossing movies of Summer 2024, plus three "dark horse" selections that may exceed expectations. This is based on domestic gross.

• The Fantastic Four: First Steps
• Jurassic World Rebirth
• Lilo & Stitch
• Thunderbolts*
• How to Train Your Dragon
• Superman
• Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
• Elio
• F1 The Movie
• The Bad Guys 2

...plus 3 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

In viewing order. See notes for dates and notes about my kids’ reactions.

• Incredibles 2

  June 16, 2018 - This was Penelope’s first theater trip, and aside from the obvious moments of big screen shock, it went over well. Months later, she is still requesting songs from the soundtrack and reminiscing about certain moments. Ozzie was 9 days away from being born.

• Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas

  December 16, 2018 - We planned this as a special Christmastime treat for Penelope, but I don’t think it was as big of a hit as we were expecting.

• How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

  February 24, 2019 - Our family saw this on an XD screen with Penelope’s cousins. Everyone loved it, although my niece was a bit bummed about the change in status quo. Ozzie did not attend.

• Toy Story 4

  June 29, 2019 - I vaguely recall being worried that the ventriloquist doll goons were too scary for Penelope.

• Raya and the Last Dragon

  April 2021- Danielle and Penelope saw this in the theater.

• Spirit Untamed

  June 4, 2021 - This was a really special outing, as the pandemic had kept us out of theaters for so long, and it was just Penelope and I. We got popsicles and dinner afterward under a beautiful sunset. A really special memory for me.

• Encanto

  December 4, 2021 - Ozzie’s first theater trip! He did well, was very tuned in, and has watched the movie a few times since on Disney+. All that said, the trailers for No Way Home and Superpets probably interested him more than anything else.

• Sing 2

  December 22, 2021 - It really is just a dream of mine to be the family that regularly goes to the movies together, regardless of what’s on screen. The German proboscis monkey ballet teacher was a highlight here.

• Sonic the Hedgehog 2

  April 10, 2022 - Afterward, I asked the kids what their star ratings were. Ozzie said “shouldn’t it be rings?”

  Penelope - 4/5 Rings
  Ozzie - 10/5 Rings

• Lightyear

  June 25, 2022 - Ozzie’s birthday movie! We saw this on a rainy day at the beach. The birthday boy enjoyed it, especially because he got to play with the reclining buttons on the seat for most of the film. Penelope gave it a 4/5. SPOILERS: When Buzz uses his jet pack wings, Ozzie said “OH YEAH!”

...plus 18 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Evil Dead II
2. Spider-Man 2
3. Army of Darkness
4. A Simple Plan
5. The Quick and the Dead
6. Drag Me to Hell
7. Darkman
8. The Evil Dead
9. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
10. Spider-Man

...plus 5 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

This Summer’s theatrical releases from May to August, according to the internet on May 4, 2021.

Mask up, get your shot, and butter the popcorn.

• Spiral: From the Book of Saw

  May 14

• Cruella

  May 28

• A Quiet Place Part II

  May 28

• Spirit Untamed

  June 4

• The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

  June 4

• Samaritan

  June 4

• In the Heights

  June 11

• Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard

  June 16

• Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway

  June 18

• F9

  June 25

...plus 13 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Watchlist: Strange World

1. Pinocchio
2. Fantasia
3. Bambi
4. Sleeping Beauty
5. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
6. Beauty and the Beast
7. The Lion King
8. Tarzan
9. Lady and the Tramp
10. The Sword in the Stone

...plus 52 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Our people have exquisite taste. Check the notes for whose pick is whose!

• It Happened One Night

  Alex Michetti (Art Department)

• Lawrence of Arabia

  Chad Meadows (Sound Mixer)

• Au Hasard Balthazar

  Troy Candor (Producer)

• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

  Markus Matei (1st Assistant Director)

• Young Frankenstein

  Virginia Newcomb (“Julia”)

• Annie Hall

  Colby Leopard (Producer)

• Apocalypse Now

  Jeremy Burgess (Screenwriter / Producer)

• The Shining

  Paul Mathews (Grip)

• Raiders of the Lost Ark

  Joshua Burge (“Randy”)

• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

  Konnor Megginson (Camera Operator)

...plus 18 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Jurassic Park
2. The Lost World: Jurassic Park
3. Jurassic Park III
4. Jurassic World
5. Jurassic World Dominion
6. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Honorable Mentions: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, A Clockwork Orange

1. The French Connection
2. Duel
3. Harold and Maude
4. The Last Picture Show
5. THX 1138
6. A Touch of Zen
7. A New Leaf
8. Shaft
9. Dirty Harry
10. Valdez Is Coming

1. Mother
2. Memories of Murder
3. Parasite
4. The Host
5. Mickey 17
6. Okja
7. Barking Dogs Never Bite
8. Snowpiercer

Honorable Mentions: Baby Mama, Che Part One, Cloverfield, The Escapist, Frost/Nixon, The Incredible Hulk, Kung Fu Panda, Red Cliff, Transporter 3, Vicky Christina Barcelona, W

1. The Dark Knight
2. WALL·E
3. Doubt
4. Iron Man
5. Synecdoche, New York
6. Ponyo
7. The Good, the Bad, the Weird
8. Let the Right One In
9. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
10. Valkyrie

...plus 15 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Watchlist: The Father, Judah and the Black Messiah, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal, The Trial of the Chicago 7

1. Minari
2. Nomadland
3. Mank

Watchlist: Chicago, The Hours

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2. Gangs of New York
3. The Pianist

Setting 2020 aside, I saw fewer new films in 2024 than any year in the last two decades. It stands to reason that there weren't as many standout movies for me and honestly, much of this list is basically interchangeable. When considering what to put at the top of the list, I decided to let the tiebreaker be my movie theater experience.

Whether it was gaping at goopy carnage with a friend and several unsuspecting strangers, cackling at Godsmack art in an indie cinema with my filmmaking compatriots, grinning at a Phil Collins car chase with my wife, or looking over and seeing a tear run down my kid's face as a family was reunited on the screen in front of us, 2024 gave me several wonderful movie theater memories.

All that said, while I’m sure I’ll have plenty of additions to my eventual ongoing top twenty-five list, this is where I stand on all my favorite movie stuff from 2024.

• 2024 Watchlist (Sprawling)
• 2024 Watched (Meager)
• 2024 First Time Viewings
• 2025 Most Anticipated

Here are my 2024 favorites…

Funniest Movies
1. The Fall Guy
2. Vulcanizadora
3. Sonic the Hedgehog 3
4. Thelma
5. Deadpool & Wolverine

Best Family Movies
1. The Wild Robot
2. Inside Out 2
3. Sonic the Hedgehog 3
4. Transformers One
5. Moana 2

Visual Effects
1. Dune: Part Two
2. The Substance
3. Alien Romulus
4. Sonic the Hedgehog 3
5. Twisters

Stunts
1. The Fall Guy
2. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
3. Monkey Man
4. Rebel Ridge
5. Gladiator II

Score
1. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
2. The Wild Robot
3. Dune: Part Two
4. Challengers
5. The Substance

Design
1. Gladiator II
2. Alien: Romulus
3. Furiosa: A Mad Max Story
4. The Wild Robot
5. Dune: Part Two
Honorable Mention: Conclave • The Bikeriders

Sound
1. Dune: Part Two
2. The Bikeriders
3. Rebel Ridge
4. Twisters
5. Gladiator II

Cinematography
1. Dune: Part Two
2. Evil Does Not Exist
3. Civil War
4. Conclave
5. Challengers
Honorable Mentions: The First Omen • Horizon

Screenplay
1. Conclave
2. Rebel Ridge
3. Dune: Part Two
4. The Wild Robot
5. The Fall Guy
Honorable Mentions: Trap • Hit Man

ing Performance
1. Joel Potrykus, Vulcanizadora
2. Jim Carrey, Sonic the Hedgehog 3
3. Ariel Donoghue, Trap
4. Don Johnson, Rebel Ridge
5. Tom Hardy, The Bikeriders 
Honorable Mentions: • Jesse Plemons, Civil War • Javier Bardem, Dune: Part Two • Stanley Tucci, Conclave

Male Performance
1. Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
2. Denzel Washington, Gladiator II
3. Chris Hemsworth, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
4. Ryan Gosling, The Fall Guy
5. Joshua Burge, Vulcanizadora
Honorable Mentions: Aaron Pierre, Rebel Ridge • Josh Hartnett, Trap • Glen Powell, Hit Man

Female Performance
1. Demi Moore, The Substance
2. Jodie Comer, The Bikeriders
3. Cailee Spaeny, Civil War
4. Lea Seydoux, The Beast
5. Zendaya, Dune: Part Two
Honorable Mentions: Nell Tiger Free, The First Omen • Rebecca Ferguson, Dune: Part Two • June Squibb, Thelma

Director
1. Coralie Fargeat, The Substance
2. Edward Berger, Conclave
3. Jeremy Saulnier, Rebel Ridge
4. Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part Two
5. M. Night Shyamalan, Trap
Honorable Mentions: Jeff Nichols, The Bikeriders • Luca Guadagnino, Challengers • Chris Sanders, The Wild Robot

1. The Wild Robot
2. Conclave
3. The Substance
4. Rebel Ridge
5. Dune: Part Two
6. The Bikeriders
7. The Fall Guy
8. Vulcanizadora
9. Twisters
10. Evil Does Not Exist

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
4. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
5. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
6. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
7. The Lord of the Rings
8. The Hobbit
9. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
10. The Return of the King

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Watchlist: Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom, Birds of Prey, Blue Beetle

1. Wonder Woman
2. Aquaman
3. Shazam!
4. Wonder Woman 1984
5. The Suicide Squad
6. Man of Steel
7. The Flash
8. Zack Snyder's Justice League
9. Justice League
10. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Honorable Mentions: The Assassin, The Big Short, Brooklyn, Going Clear, DePalma, The Glamour and the Squalor, Joy, The Revenant, Sanjay’s Super Squad, The Shaun the Sheep Movie, Spectre, Tangerine, Tomorrowland, We Are Still Here

Watchlist: Beasts of No Nation, Bone Tomahawk, Demolition, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Dope, The End of the Tour, High Rise, The Invitation, Love and Mercy, Magic Mike XXL, Mistress America, Mr. Holmes, Mustang, Queen of Earth, Slow West, Son of Saul, Straight Outta Compton, Victoria, The Walk, World of Tomorrow

Here is my full run-down of my 2015 favorites.
Here is everything I watched in 2015.

For posterity, this list on January 1, 2016 was Inside Out, Bridge of Spies, Creed, The Force Awakens, Fury Road, While We’re Young, Rogue Nation, Sicario, The Hateful Eight, and The Nightmare.

1. Inside Out
2. Creed
3. Bridge of Spies
4. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
5. Mad Max: Fury Road
6. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
7. Sicario
8. Steve Jobs
9. Blackhat
10. Krampus

...plus 15 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Watchlist: The Beguiled, The Big Sick, Call Me By Your Name, Captain Underpants, Cure for Wellness, It, It Comes at Night, Mudbound, Personal Shopper, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Here's my write-up of my list from January 1, 2018. My original top ten was...

1. Dunkirk
2. Lady Bird
3. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
4. Thor: Ragnarok
5. Baby Driver
6. The Lost City of Z
7. Okja
8. Logan
9. Get Out
10. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2

Here's the whole Film Nerds Unlimited crew discussing their favorites of 2017.

1. Phantom Thread
2. Dunkirk
3. Lady Bird
4. The Post
5. The Lost City of Z
6. Blade Runner 2049
7. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
8. Thor: Ragnarok
9. Okja
10. Get Out

...plus 15 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Every movie I saw in a theater up to the age of 18. I believe the only repeat viewings were in 1997: I loved The Lost World and needed to get a second look at Batman & Robin to truly process it in a healthy way.

1. The Great Mouse Detective
2. Batman
3. Ghostbusters II
4. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
5. The Jungle Book
6. Hook
7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze
8. One Hundred and One Dalmatians
9. Honey, I Blew Up the Kid
10. The Distinguished Gentleman

...plus 110 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

The leaves, the fog, the coziness, the shadows, the mood, the chill outside, the warmth inside.

1. Frankenstein
2. Miller's Crossing
3. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
4. Fantastic Mr. Fox
5. Evil Dead II
6. Young Frankenstein
7. Halloween
8. Sleepy Hollow
9. Prince of Darkness
10. Days of Heaven

...plus 21 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Need to See: Elvis, Starman, Escape from LA, Cigarette Burns, Pro Life, Someone's Watching Me!

1. The Thing
2. Halloween
3. Prince of Darkness
4. In the Mouth of Madness
5. Escape from New York
6. They Live
7. Big Trouble in Little China
8. Christine
9. Assault on Precinct 13
10. The Fog

...plus 7 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Apollo 11
• Birds of age
• Blinded by the Light
• Cold Pursuit
• Crawl
• Jojo Rabbit
• Joker
• Little Women
• Pain and Glory
• Queen & Slim

...plus 9 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• 37 Seconds
• Another Round
• The Assistant
• Athlete A
• Babyteeth
• Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
• The Call
• Color Out of Space
• The Decline
• Driveways

...plus 27 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Stage Struck
2. That Kind of Woman
3. The Fugitive Kind
4. A View from the Bridge
5. Long Day's Journey Into Night
6. The Group
7. The Deadly Affair
8. Bye Bye Braverman
9. The Sea Gull
10. The Appointment

...plus 27 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• August 32nd on Earth
• Maelström
• Incendies
• Prisoners
• Enemy

Watchlist: 16 Blocks, Inside Moves, Lola, Radio Flyer, Sarah T: Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic, Salt & Pepper, Timeline, The Toy, Two-Fisted Tales, X-15

1. Superman
2. Lethal Weapon 2
3. The Goonies
4. Lethal Weapon
5. Ladyhawke
6. The Omen
7. Lethal Weapon 4
8. Scrooged
9. Maverick
10. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

...plus 3 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

From the release of The Little Mermaid and the opening of MGM Studios in 1989, Disney animation experienced a renaissance, parks expanded, franchises were acquired, and the studio ended up defining much of 1990s pop culture, for better or worse. From soaring musical numbers and ground-breaking visuals to bratty kids and deadbeat dads, this is a list of the features released theatrically by Walt Disney Pictures during the decade that would lay the groundwork for the Disney domination of the 21st century. Fittingly enough, the list ends just before the release of Dinosaur in 2000.

Unwatched: 101 Dalmatians, Air Bud, The Big Green, Blank Check, Doug’s 1st Movie, Heavyweights, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, That Darn Cat, Inspector Gadget, Jungle 2 Jungle, A Kid in King Arthur’s Court, Meet the Deedles, Mighty Joe Young, My Favorite Martian, Mr. Magoo, The Parent Trap, Rocketman, The Shaggy Dog, The Straight Story, Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken

Watched, but uned: Cool Runnings, D2: The Mighty Ducks, D3: The Mighty Ducks, Tall Tale, First Kid, Iron Will, The Mighty Ducks, Operation Dumbo Drop, Shipwrecked, Squanto: A Warrior’s Tale, White Fang, White Fang 2

• Toy Story 2
• Beauty and the Beast
• The Lion King
• The Rocketeer
• Tarzan
• Toy Story
• Aladdin
• The Little Mermaid
• The Rescuers Down Under
• Dick Tracy

...plus 27 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Watchlist: After Earth, Praying With Anger, Wide Awake

1. Signs
2. The Village
3. Unbreakable
4. The Sixth Sense
5. Old
6. Trap
7. Glass
8. Knock at the Cabin
9. Split
10. Lady in the Water

...plus 3 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Watchlist: Black Mail, Champagne, Downhill, Easy Virtue, Family Plot, The Farmer's Wife, Foreign Correspondent, Frenzy, I Confess, Jamaica Inn, Juno and the Paycock, Lifeboat, The Manxman, Marnie, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The Mountain Eagle, Number Seventeen, The Paradine Case, The Pleasure Garden, Rich and Strange, The Ring, Sabotage, Saboteur, Secret Agent, The Skin Game, Stage Fright, Suspicion, Topaz, Torn Curtain, The Trouble with Harry, Under Capricorn, Waltzes from Vienna, The Wrong Man, Young and Innocent

1. Rear Window
2. Notorious
3. The 39 Steps
4. Vertigo
5. Psycho
6. Rebecca
7. North by Northwest
8. Shadow of a Doubt
9. The Man Who Knew Too Much
10. The Lady Vanishes

...plus 9 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

My birthday is July 20th, and as a kid growing up in a lower income home, theater visits were rare. However, my parents let us splurge on our birthdays and we always got our pick of a movie. In fact, my brother's birthday is five days before mine, and his 1989 pick of Batman was the first theatrical experience I .

Below are all my birthday films, to the best of my recollection. Some of these weren’t seen on the exact date.

• Ghostbusters II
• The Jungle Book
• One Hundred and One Dalmatians

  1991

• Honey, I Blew Up the Kid

  1992

• True Lies

  1994

• Nine Months
• The Phantom

  1996

• George of the Jungle

  1997

• There's Something About Mary

  1998

• Jurassic Park III

  2001

...plus 20 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Honorable Mentions: Akira, As Tears Go By, Beetlejuice, Big, Big Business, Bloodsport, Crocodile Dundee II, Coming to America, A Fish Called Wanda, The Naked Gun, Rain Man, Scrooged, Twins, Willow

1. Die Hard
2. My Neighbor Totoro
3. The Last Temptation of Christ
4. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
5. Midnight Run
6. The Bear
7. Tucker: The Man and His Dream
8. Cinema Paradiso
9. They Live
10. The Land Before Time

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

1. Inside Out
2. The Incredibles
3. WALL·E
4. La luna
5. Toy Story 2
6. Ratatouille
7. Luca
8. Monsters, Inc.
9. Partly Cloudy
10. Toy Story 4

...plus 58 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Watchlist: The Cat Returns, Earwig and the Witch, From Up on Poppy Hill, My Neighbors the Yamadas, Ocean Waves, The Red Turtle, When Marnie Was There, Whisper of the Heart

1. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
2. My Neighbor Totoro
3. The Wind Rises
4. Spirited Away
5. The Boy and the Heron
6. Grave of the Fireflies
7. Castle in the Sky
8. Porco Rosso
9. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
10. Ponyo

...plus 8 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Watchlist: Piranha 2, Ghosts of the Abyss, Aliens of the Deep

1. Aliens
2. True Lies
3. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
4. The Terminator
5. The Abyss
6. Avatar: The Way of Water
7. Titanic
8. Avatar
9. Xenogenesis

1. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
2. Planet of the Apes
3. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
4. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
5. War for the Planet of the Apes
6. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
7. Escape from the Planet of the Apes
8. Beneath the Planet of the Apes
9. Battle for the Planet of the Apes
10. Planet of the Apes

Honorable Mentions: Blazing Saddles, Freebie & The Bean, The Four Musketeers, Italianamerican, Space is the Place, The Street Fighter, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Year Without a Santa Claus

1. Chinatown
2. The Conversation
3. The Godfather Part II
4. Young Frankenstein
5. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
6. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
7. The Parallax View
8. Scenes from a Marriage
9. The Sugarland Express
10. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

My ballot for the Filmcast's 2024 Summer Movie Wager.

The rules are pretty simple: Guess the top ten highest grossing movies of Summer 2024, plus three "dark horse" selections. This is based on domestic gross, and the season starts May 2 and is over at the end of August.

My logic for each selection is in the notes.

1. Deadpool & Wolverine

   This has an R-rating going against it, but that didn't stop Oppenheimer from being a huge hit or Joker from hitting $1B. I think fanboys are primed to finally see the first real film in MCU/Fox merger, and I suspect many of the moviegoers that took Barbie and Dune 2 to success turned 18 fairly recently and will be excited to see something pitched directly to them.

2. Despicable Me 4

   2022's "gentleminions" craze was a wonderful sign that movie theaters are here to stay, and Illumination films regularly draw big crowds because - shockingly - elementary aged children hold this studio's movies in higher than animation houses. Illumination movies are sillier and not as easily accessible at home, so I think this will narrowly edge out Pixar's summer movie.

3. Inside Out 2

   I could be wrong in my estimate that many parents will wait for Disney+ the way they have for Wish and even the theatrically successful Elemental. In fact, I'm hoping I'm wrong, and that this is a new classic and a massive hit sequel for Pixar, alongside Finding Dory and Incredibles 2.

4. The Fall Guy

   This is where my list gets a little uncertain. I'm rooting for this movie big time, because a big haul for The Fall Guy is a win for movie star-driven action comedies with real stunts. A good showing here could send the message to studios that audiences will go to theaters for more than digital cacophonies that cost $100M for every hour of their runtime.

5. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1

   For the record, I'm not expecting anything outside of the top 3 to make a lot more than $150M or so. Of course, I hope I'm wrong. By including Horizon in the top five, I'm betting on the first chapter in Kevin Costner's self financed pet project to be this year's Top Gun: Maverick or Sound of Freedom - the one movie of 2024 that will convince your uncle to visit a theater. The success of Yellowstone will help, but the "Chapter 1" distinction could hurt.

6. Twisters

   There are so many unknowns here. My generation has a ton of nostalgia for the first film, and Glen Powell is a bona fide star, so we could see another star-driven success. I'm rooting for it, in part because Lee Isaac Chung is a great director who makes films that strike me on a very personal level. While I'm baffled that he got the assignment to make a huge popcorn movie, I'm very curious to see how he balances huge scale and effects with his usual intimate material.

7. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

   In the last 9 years, Fury Road has achieved legendary status among film fans. Has that carried over into the mainstream consciousness, or is the draw for this film for most viewers Anya Taylor-Joy? I'm partly betting that viral clips and word of mouth will boost this movie's performance.

8. Bad Boys: Ride or Die

   The third film in this series was a surprisingly big hit in the weeks before we all started quarantining. I'm curious if those audiences will come back, but I think the characters are likable enough to carry this into the top ten.

9. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

   I'm cautiously optimistic about this film, but I'm not convinced this franchise is as successful as its studio wants it to be. There might be some nostalgia for past waves of Apes movies, and Disney has done a decent job promoting what looks to be a more colorful and hopeful movie than the last Reeves film, but I'm skeptical that there's a ton of mainstream interest in revisiting this concept.

10. A Quiet Place: Day One

    I'll be honest, I was shocked when I looked back at the numbers for the first two films in this franchise; they were more successful than I recalled. I do think some of that success was due to Emily Blount, who isn't returning here, so while I don't expect it to be as successful as the other movies, I think it will do fine. I also think it will take a big bite out of Alien: Romulus' box office returns by satiating audience's hunger for space creatures terrorizing humans.

...plus 3 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

A very weak year for me!

Honorable Mention: The Aristocats, Beneath the Planet of the Apes

1. Patton
2. Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
3. Bed and Board
4. Le Cercle Rouge
5. Wanda

Honorable Mentions: Aladdin, Batman Returns, Death Becomes Her, Lessons of Darkness, Muppet Christmas Carol, My Cousin Vinny, One False Move, enger 57, Patriot Games

1. Unforgiven
2. Hard Boiled
3. Glengarry Glen Ross
4. Police Story 3: Super Cop
5. Husbands and Wives
6. Army of Darkness
7. Porco Rosso
8. Malcolm X
9. The Last of the Mohicans
10. Reservoir Dogs

Re-watchlist: Isle of Dogs, The Darjeeling Limited

1. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
2. The Royal Tenenbaums
3. Fantastic Mr. Fox
4. The Grand Budapest Hotel
5. Rushmore
6. The Swan
7. Bottle Rocket
8. Asteroid City
9. The French Dispatch
10. Isle of Dogs

...plus 7 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

This was a weak year for me when it came to new titles. I’m looking forward to catching up with many of these movies in the future.

Watchlist: Another Round, The Assistant, Athlete A, Birds of Prey, The Father, The 40 Year Old Version, The Half of It, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, The Invisible Man, Judas and the Black Messiah, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Nest, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, One Night in Miami, Promising Young Woman, Shirley, Small Axe(s), Sound of Metal, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Underwater, The Vast of Night, The Way Back, Wolfwalkers, Young Ahmed

1. Minari
2. Jasper Mall
3. Tenet
4. Da 5 Bloods
5. First Cow
6. Onward
7. Soul
8. Greyhound
9. Bacurau
10. Bad Education

...plus 15 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Honorable Mentions: Boxcar Bertha, Jeremiah Johnson, Silent Running, The Wrath of God

1. The Godfather
2. Solaris
3. Aguirre, the Wrath of God
4. Deliverance
5. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

1. Bad Company
2. Brother Sun, Sister Moon
3. Cabaret
4. The Canterbury Tales
5. The Cowboys
6. Cries and Whispers
7. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
8. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask
9. Fat City
10. Fist of Fury

...plus 13 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Watchlist: Fast X

1. Fast Five
2. Furious 7
3. Fast & Furious 6
4. F9
5. 2 Fast 2 Furious
6. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
7. Fast X
8. Fast & Furious
9. The Fast and the Furious
10. The Fate of the Furious

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.